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Cpl. Anthony G. Mihalo
Cpl. Anthony G. Mihalo, 23, of Naperville, Ill. Died Aug. 14 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan:
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.
The Department of Defense says Corporal Anthony Mihalo (muh-HAW'-loh) died in combat Thursday, August 14th in the city of Sargin, in the Hemland province, in Afghanistan. His funeral was Saturday, August 30th. Tony was a defensive lineman for Naperville North and graduated in May 2004. In October 2004 he enlisted. In August 2005 he was in Iraq, a member of the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment. Tony returned to Iraq with the 2nd of the 7th for a second Iraq tour in March 2007. During his two Iraq deployments he earned three Purple Hearts – that is, he was wounded in combat three times. Tony had planned to end his active duty service when the 2nd of the 7th returned in January of this year. He learned that the 3rd of the 7th was short on combat veterans, so in February of this year, he and Lance Corporal Bryan Fisher and three dozen others from the 2nd Battalion left for Afghanistan with the 3rd Battalion. Bryan was wounded by the same IED that killed Tony. The chaplain of the 3rd Battalion wrote about his 2nd Battalion augmentees to Oliver North, who published the chaplain’s words: I went to the hospital to see [Bryan], the 'E' Co. Marine who was wounded in the IED attack and had the unenviable task of sharing with him the names of the KIA from his platoon that were med-evaced after him. Like any human, he broke down and began to weep at the loss of his friends and brothers-in-arms. We spoke for a bit about loss and grief and how these kinds of events are not something a person 'gets over,' rather, we 'get through' and with God's grace, we learn to cope in a healthy manner. As our conversation turned towards ways to honor the loss of his friends and his own future, [Bryan] floored me with his plans: “I'm glad I'll be here at Bastion for awhile before I go back to the field. This will give me time to process my re-enlistment paperwork to stay in [2nd of the 7th] and then I can return to my guys.” |
Marine Saluting Courtesy Sgt Michal S. Williams
 
Here is a Marine who just lost three of his friends, could easily have been No. 4 of the KIA's, and his way of honoring his friends is to re-enlist to stay in the same battalion in order to return to the same place his friends were killed so that he can continue to carry the fight to the enemy. And what's most important is that his actions are not an act of vengeance but an act of love; a way to honor his comrades. He inspires me. Bryan’s “way of honoring [Tony] is to re-enlist to stay in the same battalion in order to return to the same place his friends were killed so that he can continue to carry the fight to the enemy.” Tony did the same. A month ago, “his squad was patrolling an alley when they took machine gun fire from somewhere above, his fiancé, Megan Allen, said. [Tony] told his squad to continue on while he returned for one man who had been injured. As he helped carry the man back, [Tony] was hit by shrapnel from an explosive device, she said. “…Allen said he also received a [fourth] Purple Heart for the Afghanistan injury, something that should have sent him to Germany for recovery. But he refused additional medical services after his initial treatment and was sent back to his squad. “’He didn't want to walk on an airplane when his buddies were on stretchers,’ Allen said.” |
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